Time-stamp.



A. A. HATKE.

TIME STAMP.

APPLICATION FILED Nov; 13, |909` Patented Nov. 23, 1915 4 SHEETS-SHEET l.

A. A. HADTKE.

TIME STAMP. APPLICATION FILED NOV. 13| 1909.

Patented Nov. 23, 1915.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

A. A. RADTKE. 'TIME STAMP.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 13. 1909.

Patented Nov. 23, 1915.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

85623@- be. @W

A. A. RADTKE.

TIME STAMP.

` PPLlCATlON FILED NCH/.13| 1909. 1,161,341. Patented Nov. 23, 1915.

v 4 SHEETS-SHEET 4- '?.9 101.77 5g 78 35 .i

f; n j? zg .66 33 /4/ Wagga/hdm@ UNITED STATES -'PATENT OFFICE.

ALBERT A. RADTKE, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO ELECTRIC TIME RECORDER COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

TIMESTAMP.

Specication of Letters Patent.

` Patented Nov. 23, 1915.

Application led November 13, 1909. Serial No. 527,862.

To all whom it may concern.'

Be it known that I, ALBERT A. RADTKE, citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Time-Stamps, .of which the following is a full, clear, conc1se, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification.

My invention relates to time stamps, and has for its object the provision of improved time stamping mechanism, in which the arrangement of the operating parts is greatly simplified, and in which the parts are so 'ar ranged as to present a more compact structure.

My invention provides new and novel means for winding the ribbon which is used in the stamping operations, and for rewinding this ribbon after it has completed a half cycle of its operation.

My invention further contemplates the provision of a movable plate operating in conjunction with type wheels, which type wheels I prefer to set by means of a Geneva mechanism, which mechanism I have improved in a variety of ways, so as to adapt it particularly to perform functions most desirable, which functions comprise the proper placing of the various figures and letters of the date line in such way as to read consecutively in the normal manner. I provide new and improved mechanism for operating theGeneva mechanism in accordance with the movements of a master clock, which means are very simple and free from operating parts liable to get into disorder.

I will explain my invention more in detail by reference to the accompanying draw ings illustrating the preferred embodiment thereof, in which- Figure 1 is a view partly in section of my improved time stamp; Fig. 2 is a view looking upward at the time stamp, with the lower half of the base broken away; Fig. 3 is a front sectional view of the time stamp; Figs. 4 and 5 are details of the operating shafts of the Geneva mechanism; ig. 6 is a detail view of .the type wheels of the Geneva mechanism; Fig. 7 is a detail view of the ribbon-shifting mechanism. Fig. V8 is a further detail view of the opposite side of the parts shown in Fig. 7, for illustrating the means employed for setting the Geneva mechanism, if desired. Fig. 9 is a diagrammatic view illustrating the circuit arrangements. Fig. 10 is a central plan view showing the arrangement of the Geneva mechanism and the manner of its arrangement with the type wheels; Fig. 11 is a sectional view'on line a-a of Fig. 10, and Fig. 12 is a perspective view showing one part of the split Geneva wheels.

Referring more particularly to Figs. 1, 2 and 3, I show a casting 1, which forms the base of my improved time stamp, which casting has an upward extension 2, to which is fastened the upper casing 3, containing the operatin parts. .The lower casing 1 has a movab e platen 4, fastened to a suitable bed plate 5, which, through the agency of its arms 6, 6, fastened to the shaft 7, is pivoted within the base 1. An opening provided with an insulating washer 8, is arranged within the base to accommodate the electric wires necessary in the operation of the device. The base plate 5 rests upon arms 9, 9, which are secured to a rotatable shaft 10, which rotatable shaft has a third arm 11, directly under the influence of the base portion 12 of the operating handle 13. When the handle 13 is depressed, it is ap parent that it will depress the arm 11, which thereupon raises the arm 9 to elevate the platen 4, and press the paper upon which the indication is made against the type wheels protruding from the upper casing 3. as will be explained later, and as will be now apparent from the illustration, Fig. 1.

The operating handle is confined within the vertical extension 2, and is limited in its movements by a plug 14, which is adapted to pass within a recess 15, centrally located in the operatin handle 13, which plug 14 is securely hel in position by a set screw 16. A spring 17 normally maintains the operating handle in its upper most position.

The depression of the operating handle 13, to get an impression from the type wheels, performs another function,-.namely, to

move the prong 18 once with each operation.

The function of this prong 18, in its actuation of the ribbon-setting devices, will be explained later.

The type wheels are all mounted upon a shaft 19, and occupy the relative positions more clearly shown in Fig. 6, as will also appear later. These type wheels are interconnected after the manner of Geneva mechanisms, and ,are suitably rotated through the agencybf/a pinion 20, which pinion, with each movement moves the minute wheel, whose motion is thereafter communicated to the remaining wheels, as desired, and each movement of the wheel 20, in its rotation, is accompanied by a movement of the ratchet A wheel 21, suitably held in place by a pawl 22 and the spring 23. The pinion 20 is en.- gaged by a gear wheel 24, which gear wheel is mounted upon a shaft 25, which shaft, as will be more clearly seen in Figs. 1 and 3, has three sets of armatures, 26, 27 and 28, each set comprising four radial arms, 29, 29. All of the armatures, with their corresponding radial arms, making twelve radial arms in all, are securely mounted on a shaft 25.

In proximity to each armature, with its four radial arms, I mount electro-magnets, 30, 31 and 32, respectively., It will be noted that while Vthe four radial arms of each armature are 90o apart, when one radial arm of either of the armatures is opposite its electro-magnet, a radial arm of another armature is only 30o away from its electromagnet, and thus, if this second electromagnet becomes energized, the second armature will move with its radial arm in proximity to the second electro-magnet. In the same way, when the third electro-magnet is energized, the third armature comes into its proper position. In this way, successive energization, minute after minute, of the three electro-magnets, 30, 31 and 32, causes a progressive rotation of the shaft 25, and therefore a rotation once a minute of the pinion 20. The circuit arrangements are shown a little more in detail in Fig. 9, where the three electro-magnets 30, 31 and 32 are connected to what may be called a horological motor, which, in its continuous rotation, makes contact alternatively with the arms-33, 34 and 35, thus energizing, through the agency of a suitable source of power, 36,

the magnets 30, 31 and 32. In this way,

each succeeding minute is registered upon the Geneva-mechanism, which Geneva mechanism has its type wheels arranged as shown more clearly in Fig. 6. The novel arrangement of my improved Geneva mechanism will be apparent in this Fig. 6. The objects desired to be obtained are to have a date line which, for instance, as shown in said Fig. 6, would give an indication as follows: 9:57 P. M., June 15, 1909 which is the logical way in which a date line should be made, and which is an improvement over the form of date line used in present devices, in which the year is frequently given first, then the hour, then the month, or in some other manner not consecutively arranged, as in this present case.

The operations of the Geneva mechanism will be understood from an inspection -of Figs. 4, 5, 6, 10, 11 and 12. The gear wheel 20 is driven by the gear wheel 24 as already explained. This gear wheel or pinion 20 drives the pinion 37 which is associated directly with the type Wheel 38 which with its coperating type wheel 39 gives the minute indications.

In the illustration of Fig. 10, the figures and other indicia are omitted from the type wheels except those in the one particular line so as to avoid confusion. One movement each minute of the pinionv 2O moves the pin- -ion 37 to move the type wheel 38 one space.

Permanently associated with the type Wheel 38 and its pinion 37 is a guide plate 40 and a plate'66 having at a portion of its periphery a pair of teeth at 67 which are adapted once during a complete revolution of a wheel 38 to actuate the Geneva pinion 68, which thereupon rotates the sleeve ,69. To the sleeve 69 a gear wheel 70 yis fastened which meshes with a further gear wheel 7l.directly associated with the type wheel 39 so that the type wheel 39 is moved one space whenever the type wheel 38 has been moved one complete revolution. It will thus be seen that the split arrangement of my Geneva mechanism consists in separating the driving teeth 67 from the driven pinion 71 and interlocking them by means of a split Geneva pinion comprising the elements 68 and 70. In like manner the type wheel 39 carries an element 72 having teeth at 73 to engage the Geneva pinion 74 once each revolution of the type wheel 38 to drive the type Wheel 75 through the interposition of the gear wheel 76. In a similar way the type wheel 75 through the interposition of the split Geneva pinions 77 and 78 drives the type Wheel 79, and similarly the type wheel 79 through the interposition of the split Geneva pinions 80 and 81 drives the type wheel 82. The type wheel 82 together with its companion wheel 83 gives the indications of the days of the month. Similarly the split Geneva pinions 84 and 85 transmit the motion of the type Wheel 82 to the type wheel 83 and the Geneva pinion 86 transmits the movement of the type wheel 83 to the type wheel 87. The shaft 41 projects through the sleeve 69 and carries permanently associated with it the gear wheel, 81. The Geneva wheel 80 is independently mounted on a sleeve 88 rotatable on a Shaft 41. A spring 89 presses the shaft 41 to the `right (Fig. 10). The left hand extremity of the shaft 41 then projects into a sleeve 90 carrying the Geneva pinion 74. In this way, I displace the type wheels in such a manner that the readings can be consecutively madeL As is well understood, in the ordinary form of Geneva mechanism, the wheels, which take their motion from one indicating wheel and transfer it to another, act only upon their two adjacent wheels, and with my improvement I am able to operate upon type Wheels remotely arranged with respect to each other. By referring also to Fig. 8, the shaft 41 of the Geneva mechanism is shown, as protruding through a guard plate 42, which is provided with a triangular opening 43", into which a triangular key\43 may be fitted, which, in conjunction with a spring shown in dotted lines at 44, makes it impossible to rotate the shaft except through an arc of 120 at any time. A ribbon 45 runs over the type wheels, between them and the platen 4, in order to give the required impression on the paper, and this ribbon is suitably wound up by rollers 46 and 47. By means of the mechanism shown more clearly in Fig. 7, and referred to previously in connection with Fig. 3, the rong 18 rotates either of the shafts 46 or 4 in a manner to be described hereinafter with each operation of the handle 13. In order todo this, I provide ratchet Wheels 48 and 49, mounted upon the shafts 46 and 47, respectively, and pawls, 50 and 51, are hinged upon a transversely movable slide 52, which has openings 53 to accommodate the shafts 46 and 47.

`This plate 52 is movable toward the left or to the right, and when so moved, it will be seen that either pawl 50 or 51 is in engagement with its respective ratchet wheel. To move the plate 52 to the right or to the left, I provide a pin 54, which is movable by means of an oscillating plate 55, secured to an apron 56, which apron is responsive to the amount of ribbon upon the shaft 46. lhen the ribbon is fully wound upon the shaftv46, the plate 55 moves the pin 54, which, thereupon, shifts the plate 52 so that the pawl 50 is disengaged, and thepawl 51 is moved into engagement. The pawls 50 and 51 are also pivotally mounted upon arms 57 and 58, respectively, which arms are respectively hinged about the shafts 46 and 47, and held together at their opposite extremitiesl by a pin 59, which arms, 57 and 58, are movable with the prong 18, and thereby, with each upward and downward movement of the prong, move the pawls 50 and 51, with each such movement ofthe handle 13, and thus rotate either the shaft 46 or 47, depending upon which pawl is in engagement with its associated ratchet. If the pin 54 alone were depended upon to move the plate 52, then a dead center might be reached where no pawl is in engagement. To obviate this, I provide a rocking bar 6.0, Which can rock within the circular recess of the plate 52, and which has an extending -scribed the arm carrying a pin 61, and which has,

mediately above its circular portion, a triangular top portion 62, which engages a spring secured to the bell-crank-lever 63, having at itsleft-hand extremity a triangular feature, which triangular feature attempts to hold said plate 52 either in .one position orin another. Thus, moves the plate 52 sufficiently so that'the triangular extensions engage at their apices, neither pawl 50 nor 51 would be in engagement. Now, to prevent the dead center position wherev the two apices touch, I utilize the pin 61, which is under the influence of a rectangular portion 64 of the plate 57, and which agitates the pin 61, whenever the handle is depressed, so that the spring# pressed arm 63 moves the plate 52, either into one or the other direction, to engage one or the other of the pawls 51. It will be seen from this that a simple ribbon-shifting mechanism is operated directly by the handle 13, and the reversal of the ribbonwinding is easily accomplished. A long leaf spring 65, fastened to the bottom of the plate 52, when said plate is moved, serves as a retaining pawl from either the ratchet wheel 48 or 49, depending upon which ratchet wheel is engaged by said spring.

I have herein shown and particularly dereferred form of my invention, but I o not wish to limit myself to the precise construction and arrangement herein set forth, as many modifications may be made and yet be within the scope of the invention as herein set forth; but

Having thus described the preferred em bodiment thereof, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A time stamp having type-wheels and associated intermeshing vsetting mechanism, a horological motor, and electro-magnetic mechanism interposed between said motor and said setting mechanism, whereby the movements of said horological motor are transmitted to said type wheels through the interposition of said setting mechanism; said electro-magnetic mechanism having a if the pin 54 plurality of operating magnets and an armanism, movable continuously and progresmy name this 28th day of October, A. D., sively forward, and a horological motor for 1909.

actuatin said electroma etic rime mover 1 mechanim, said electronalgnetilz) mechanism ALBERT A RADTKE 5 including a,` plurality of actuating coils and Witnesses:

a plurality of driving armatures. MAX W. ZABEL,

In Witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe JEAN ELLIOTT. 

